Pinal County opens COVID-19 vaccine eligibility to those 18 and older

PHOENIX — The Pinal County health department announced Thursday that people 18 years of age and older who live or work in the county are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine at community providers.

People can check availability and schedule appointments online or by calling 1-866-960-0633.

Only those with an appointment will be vaccinated at community providers as walk-ins are not accepted.

The Pinal County COVID-19 vaccine webpage identifies which sites offer the Moderna vaccine and which sites utilize the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Just under 75,000 people in Pinal County have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services dashboard, with 44,391 being fully vaccinated against the virus.

Counties were left in charge of determining how to vaccinate priority groups as state-run sites are now doling out shots by age under the new hybrid vaccine distribution plan.

Vaccine eligibility for the remainder of the population in Pinal County ages 18 and older marks a move to the final vaccination group of 1C for the county.

Health care professionals, long-term care residents, essential workers and infrastructure, people 55 years of age and older or those 18 and older with high-risk medical conditions were eligible in the 1A and 1B groups.

Only those 55 years of age and older – along with previous priority groups – are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at the four state-run sites around the Valley and in Tucson.

A fifth state-supported mass vaccination site will begin March 29 in Yuma, Gov. Doug Ducey’s office announced Thursday.

Younger age groups will gain eligibility for the vaccine at state-run sites in waves over the next two months.

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